warhammer40kfanonfandomcom-20200216-history
Erwin Clayborne
The eldest son of Adolf Clayborne, Baron of Poltava. He currently is serving as an Overseer in the Damp Corps. Known across the Sector for his cunning and ingenuity, and his short temper and borderline obsessive behavior. History Born in the Unions capitol of Poltava, he was raised without a name or any social status until he came of age, as a means to ensure equal footing for all children, and to allow them to succeeded based on their own on merit, not by circumstance of birth. As with all of those whom are raised in this manner, he was subject to intense physical and psychological training and screenings to detect and foster any natural affinities or dispositions. Receiving high marks in lateral thinking, and with a keen eye for detail, combined with his natural leadership abilities, he was an ideal candidate to take on the role of a Foreman in the Military or the Labor Force. At the age of thirteen, after finishing his initial training, he was permitted to take a name for himself, and returned to his clan. When the time came for his mandatory service in the Mine Guard, he decided his skill in handling explosives and engineering skills would be better served in the military, rather than in a mine. Opting into a lifetime career as a soldier. When his military training concluded, he was initially assigned to the 734th Siege Engineers. He found his new role as a Combat Engineer to be greatly fulfilling, though seemed to show a near obsessive desire to build more destructive weapons and traps. Several years into his service, during the Siege of Virsernov II, his unit was cut off and and nearly encircled by Orks for nearly four days. Surviving constantly Ork bombardment and assaults, as well as several "Danger Close" fire missions from friendly forces. In the aftermath of the war, most of the 734th had been killed or declared missing in action, most of the survivors whom were able to resume services were restructured under the newly promoted Overseer Gustavus. Erwin, on the other hand was severely injured in the fighting and required multiple cybernetic augmentations to resume services. When fully recovered, he was given a promotion and inducted into the Damp Corps, the Unions Elite. The training to join the Corps was brutal and took place over nearly a year. In the end, he emerged from the ordeal and was given the rank of Foreman and command of his own squad. Because of his natural affinities and advanced training as an engineer and extensive background in handling explosives, he received the title of "Blackdamp". He and his squad became known for their skills in asymmetrical warfare, sabotage, and close quarters combat. At the age of twenty-six, he was awarded the rights to Mine Sixty-Two, a new mine established to extract the explosive element of Fyceline and the large Tungsten reserves, to honor his meritorious service to the Union. The mine also serves as a sort of Firebase, allowing him to train his soldiers as well as work on his personal projects with a level of privacy and security. After nearly four decades of service in the Unions military, and having achieved the rank of Overseer, he controls a entire Damp Regiment, and has been given free reign to sign his own contracts with Toplanders, increased his personal wealth and spreading his legacy across the Expanse and beyond. Personality Strong willed, cunning, and an intelligent individual. Traits that have aided him well earning his reputation as a Demolitions Expert. Combined with his nearly obsessive and unnerving tinkering with explosive devices, he is fiercely protective of his designs, and often considers himself to be an artisan of his craft, considering himself as superior to the common terrorist or cultist that crafts crude bombs out of scrap, viewing devices like that with contempt. Unwavering loyalty to his people and their ideology, seeing them as the pinnacle of civilization and the only hope for humanity to survive the darkness of the galaxy. He despises the forces of Chaos and anarchic groups of raiders and pirates, and is generally distrusting of the Imperium due to their dogmatic and often backwards ways. Like most of his people, he is suspicious of outsiders, viewing them at best to be backwards barbarians, and at worst to be vile anarchists. While less suspicious when dealing with void-born, likely due to their similar physical appearance, he still comes across as blunt and curt, if not outright rude. Appearance Tall and well built, as one would expect from a career miner and soldier. Like all True-Born Tremorisians he is easily identifiable by his cadaverous skin and dull steel colored eyes which appear to be sunken into his skull. His hair is ashen grey and is buzzed short to allow him to wear his gear easier. Having lost his lower right leg to a landmine early in his career, and losing his right arm at the shoulder and left arm below the elbow in combat, he now possesses cybernetic replacements for his missing limbs, capable of fine manipulations and can move in ways not normally possible with organic limbs has proven a boon. Abilities and Traits His peoples genetics, after millennium of isolation in the Koronus Expanse, as well as their subterranean lifestyle has given him a heightened sense of hearing as well as a sharp sense of smell, giving him a heightened perception and awareness of his surroundings, particularly underground. His eyes are likewise adapted to the perpetual darkness of Tremor and low-light conditions of their mines, giving him better eye-sight in the those conditions, but at the cost of poor vision in bright lights, both natural and artificial. Trained in prospecting when he joined the labor guild, he is skilled at judging the quality of an areas stone and soil, as well as spotting things of value to his mission hidden in the earth, combined with his training as a blast miner, he is adept in locating the weak points in enemy fortifications and structure. His near constant tinkering with his explosives have taught him how to produce explosives in the field with the proper tools, as well as modify and enhance his other charges. His training as a saboteur has taught him how to properly place his charges for their maximum effect, to enemy personnel, structures, and morale, often setting his bombs in places for the maximum collateral damage possible, though will often try to avoid non-combatant casualties, but never at the risk of the mission. Equipment Due to his lifetime career in the military and constant tinkering with his equipment, Erwins gear is hand crafted and modified for his use. Modified GL-879 Grenade Launcher "Katyusha": A customized launcher, crafted by Erwin himself. This weapon is capable of launching various types of modified payloads, from Fragmentation and High Explosive, to Air Burst and a unique adhesive explosive that can be remote detonated. Modified CSG-104 Trench Sweeper: A modified version of the standard issue Trench Sweeper, with an improved "Smart-Choke", capable of tightening or widening the spread. Loaded with the same ammo types used by the standard weapon, however with the weapons improved coils, hits with greater force. RP-50m Rail Pistol: A slightly modified version of the standard "Unity" model of Rail Pistols, this weapon simply has tweaked rails and fired blended metal slugs that penetrate armor and shred the flesh below it. Otherwise the weapon is mostly similar to its standard counterpart. NKb-87 Entrenching Tool: A standard Entrenching tool, with one side of the spade sharpened to a mono-edge. Capable of cleaving through flesh and bone, and some forms of personal armor. Used in a manner similar to an Ax, it is capable of being used as a tool and as a deadly close combat weapon. Mk.VI Tube Charges: More powerful than Frag Grenades and more suited for combat than the bulky demolition charge, the Tube Charge or Frag Pipe finds the middle ground. Favored for their versatility, they are well suited for the stealth and sabotage tactics employed by Tremor Damps. They can be wired together to increase their power, as well as being able to be set as traps. They pose a significant threat to infantry and light armor. Demolition Charges: Each Blackdamps designs and creates their own version of the standard demo charge that the normal siege engineers use. His devices tend to be of a higher yield and augmented by secondary tube-charges. Erwin utilizes a "home-brewed" mixture of explosives to ensure success and to leave his mark on his targets. Tremorisian Sledge-Pick: A heavy tool used by miners to break ore loose from stone, it is often paired with an E-tool to assist in tunnel building, combining a sledgehammer and a miners pick, this tool can also be used as an improvised melee weapon in a pinch. Capable of breaking through ferrocrete and breaching doors as well as caving skulls and crushing personal armor. Saboteurs Supplies: A large satchel carrying the standard supplies a Blackdamp would need in the field, including a standard tool kit to build low-tech traps and auspex, as well as a roll of Det-Tape and Snare Mines. Erwin is also known to carry a set of infiltrator tools and anything else he might need for a particular mission. Jerrycans: Erwin carries at least one Jerrycan on him at all times. Usually as a improvised incendiary device to burn enemy armor or light fortifications. It can also serve to refill Flamers or other devices that run on promethium. Awards and Accolades Demolisher's Badge (Eleven Gold, One Silver) '- Awarded to individuals whom single-handedly destroy enemy tanks or other armored vehicles with hand held weaponry, One silver badge per vehicle, One gold badge per five, replaces silver. Appears as a grey ribbon with gold or silver stripes with a red ceramite cross in the center, worn on the sleeve. '''Engineer Long Service Award (Third Class) '- Awarded for 10 years service in the Siege Engineering Corps, appears as a silver crossed pickaxe and spade in front of a black triangle, painted on the left side of the helmet. 'Blackdamp Long Service Award (First Class) '- Awarded for 25 years service in the Damp Labor Corps, appears as a crossed pickaxe and spade in front of a yellow and grey triangle, painted on the left side of the helmet. 'Close Assault Badge (Gold) '- Awarded for participation in 50+ close quarters assaults, and outstanding achievements in melee and close proximity combat. Appears as a gold crossed stick grenade and trench knife in front of a skull. Worn on the right breast. 'Saboteur's Badge (Gold) '- Awarded for spending one hundred days behind enemy lines, and for outstanding performance in guerrilla and sabotage missions. Appears as a copper medal depicting a serpent being beheaded by a blade. Worn on the left breast. Notable Engagements 'Siege of Virsernov II '- This humid and tropical planet is located on the edges of the Exploding Nebula has been the site of several conflicts over the centuries it has been occupied by the Miners Union, Late in the 7th century of M.41 it was laid siege to by an invading force of Orks. Several detachments of Mine Guards were sent in to hold the lines and drive the Orks back. What resulted was a five year war of attrition, that devastated the local rain forests and turned most of the world into a series of partially flooded trenches and tunnels. It ended with the decisive assassination of the Ork Warboss by a detachment of Damps, which caused the Orks to turn upon each other. Modus Operandi When plying his trade, Erwin is generally a perfectionist, obsessed with every detail of his plan, and every aspect of his device till he is certain it will work as intended with no-room for error, often leading him to use more force than is required to complete his task. While setting up his explosives for a contract, he will usually attempt to integrate it into the structure allowing the device to detonate from within the wall or floor to increase is structural damage. He will usually wire several additional charges and tube charges to ensure its destruction in the most efficient way possible. When he is setting up for a contract targeting soft targets like infantry and light skinned vehicles, he foregoes the additional charges in favor of a single high yield device, loaded with scrap metal to generate shrapnel, as usual he partially submerges the device to hide it from sight. Most of his devices are installed with an "anti-tampering" system to combat enemy engineers from attempting to disable his devices. Relations Friends and Allies '''Vasily Negronov Vasily is one of Erwins childhood companions and a fellow member of Labor Unit 62. Serving as a Stinkdamp Sharpshooter, he is a constant companion to Erwin, often assists in high priority missions. Armed with his own version of the Tremor Derailer Rifle. Sten and Nico Ettenberg Erwins seconds within the unit these twins both serve as Firedamps, armed with the customized "Nightfire" flamers, they mimic their leaders destructive tendencies through their own pyromania, barely able to resist the urge the light things on fire with their flamers or a barrage of firebombs Charles Gustav One of Erwins oldest friends, the current Premier of the Miners Union, once served with both Erwin and Vasily in the 743rd Siege Engineers, though following a different path from the others, opting to lead armies rather than fight behind the scenes. Despite their friendship or perhaps because of it, the Premier ensures that Erwin is given assignments that best suit his abilities, often the most dangerous ones. Enemies Quotes By About (Add your own) Trivia Erwin's Labor Team, the Dirt Dragons are named after the Tu Lung in Tremors 4: The Legend Begins.Category:MercenariesCategory:Characters